A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit filed against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenging the legality of its Ward Congresses conducted on July 27 last year in Kaduna State and also seeking to stop Local Government Congresses in the state.
Justice Peter Ode Lifu dismissed the suit for want of jurisdiction by his court to dabble into the internal affairs of the party.
Six members of the party, namely, Sheu Isa Dan Ina, Mutari Shuaib, Yusuf Suleiman, Nura Waziri, Mansur Alasan, and Jaafar Abubakar filed the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1144/24.
It was filed on their behalf by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mahmoud Abubakar Magaji.
In the originating summons, the six aggrieved party members placed six issues before the court for determination and also sought four declarative reliefs.
Among others, they claimed to be among authentic candidates for the PDP Ward Congresses in Kaduna State but were unlawfully excluded from participating in the congresses.
They prayed the court to invoke Article 15 of the party’s constitution, Section 82 of the Electoral Act 2022, to compel the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) to act on the report of its Election Appeal Committee to conduct fresh Ward Congresses for them to participate in.
The six plaintiffs also asked the court to restrain the PDP from proceeding with the August 10, 2024 Local Government Congresses on the ground that they would be unlawfully excluded.
Besides, they prayed Justice Lifu to restrain the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from monitoring the Local Government Congresses until the determination of their suit.
However, Justice Lifu, in his judgment in the matter, invoked the judicial precedent of the Supreme Court in holding that the case of the plaintiffs was not justiciable.
The judge held that selection of officers for the party and nomination of candidates for elective offices are purely internal affairs of the party that no court can inquire into.
He held that he found no merit in the claims of the aggrieved party members to warrant his dabbling into the issues raised against the party and the order sought against INEC.
Justice Lifu subsequently dismissed the suit for lack of jurisdiction but did not award the cost of litigation against the plaintiffs.
Court dismisses suit against PDP, INEC on disputed Kaduna Ward, LG Congresses
